Man named John Lewis stars in Twitter UK's Christmas ad

US lecturer receives more than 50,000 tweets a year meant for the British retailer

Every year the frenzy around John Lewis's Christmas ad results in the chain's namesake, an American lecturer, being mistakenly inundated with thousands of tweets. This year he stars in his own Christmas ad.

Twitter UK has paid for the "real" John Lewis, who receives more than 50,000 tweets a year meant for the British retail chain, to appear in a tongue-in-cheek ad playing on the case of mistaken identity.